Catch
by Legend96
Summary: AU. Someone is terrorizing the kingdom of Alternia. Twelve trolls can end it, but they may end up tearing each other apart before they catch the killer from Derse.
1. Called to Her

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to Andrew Hussie. Yep.**

He keeps his eyes trained on his hands. They're closed around a shovel, and he's digging a hole in the middle of the garden, waiting for Nepeta to get back with the wheel barrow of pregrown flowers. He doesn't understand the flowers, he never will - he's always found them necessary and too cheery, but it's not his palace. No, this palace rests on the sea and not further inland like he'd prefer and these flowers take salt water only and they're too pink and blue and purple for him.

But he can't complain. He won't complain. For someone like him, he's in the best possible position.

"Karkitty!" Nepeta calls. He stops shoveling for a moment to glance behind him. There's Nepeta running as fast as she can on her short legs, pulling the wheel barrow behind her. He thinks she's sort of odd, what with her obsession with cats, and how she's found a way to attach a tale to her scrap of a coat. But she's grown on him, and even if he won't admit it, he likes having her around.

Instead he scowls at her as she runs up, stopping and panting in what any other person but him would find in an adorable fashion, and she's adjusting the cat cap on her head before making sure her fingerless gloves are pulled on tight. "So!" she says, and her grin reveals her fangs, and even those resemble a cat's. He can't blame her - her lusus was a cat, and she's been completely in league with felines since she left her. He finds the fact that she'll nuzzle up to him and narrate everything she does annoying, but he won't let it show.

He won't let anything show.

"We'd best start on planting these purrfect blossoms, right?" she asks, and she's still grinning up at him. Her tail is swishing in her excitement, and her horns, shaped like cat ears, almost perk up as a cat's would. This is the part of her he finds charming, her childlike demeanor and unmistakable happiness, even given their social rank. He has to resist the urge to smile softly at her, instead shaking his head and moving on to dig the next hole. "Go ahead," he says, forcefully, because that's what he does.

He is forceful and pushy, and most people would probably hate him with his first three words, but he doesn't care. That's how he prefers it. That's how he will keep it. That's how he needs it. He needs to make sure no one gets close, because if they get close, he might lose his life.

With a laugh and a shrill squeal, Nepeta jumps and lands on her knees on the ground, very lightly and soundlessly, beginning to hum as she planted. Karkat supposes the skill came from her lusus. He'd found her hunting in the forest near the ocean one night, and she'd pounced on him, squealing with her glee at catching him. She'd followed him back, and from then on she'd been around.

Karkat looks up when Nepeta's stopped humming, and he knows why. There's a carriage pulling up the gravel way, headed for the front steps and grand entrance of the palace. His lips purse and his eyes narrow, and Nepeta's standing behind him, grasping onto his own coat and curling her fingers into it.

"Karkitty...? Is that...?"

"Captain Vriska Serket? Yes. Yes it is."

Nepeta doesn't say anymore, and Karkat's grip on his shovel tightens as they watch the black as night horses pull the cerulean blue carriage up. It's decorated with patterns of webs and even the flag that sails on Serket's ship is painted onto the door of the carriage. It is a head, a spider's head, and below it are eight blue, triangular dice. It chills Karkat to see it, and he knows why.

Vriska Serket is a pirate. On the seas she is known as Mindfang. But on land, she is known as a Blueblood, and she is one of three Bluebloods that consult with the Empress. The Empress knows, and Karkat knows that the Empress knows. What he can't understand is why exactly the Empress consorts with such people.

Nepeta whimpers as the carriage stops and the Captain exits it. Karkat's grip on the shovel tightens even more, until he's sure his palms will be blistered and full of splinters. The Captain only glances over at them, her hair wild and untamed, stiff from seawater. Her face is split in a grin, lips painted the same color as her blood. Her clothes are worn and just as stiff as her hair.

Karkat freezes completely and Nepeta ducks behind him when Serket's gaze flicks over them. Her grin widens and Karkat can just barely see her eyes narrow. His entire body shudders when she calls over, "Not important enough to serve inside, are you?"

He bites his tongue to avoid spitting an answer back at her; doing so would be disrespectful, and he does not want any amount of trouble that could lead to his death or the revelation of his secret. Whatever his disobedience would lead to he did not want to think about.

He watches as Serket climbs the stairs and the carriage departs, making sure to turn and pat Nepeta's back awkwardly. "Right," she says, and she releases his coat and once again does her tiny jump to land on the ground, going to work. Karkat watches her for a moment before throwing his shovel into the ground and pulling on his hood.

"Karkitty?" Nepeta asks, looking up as he starts walking for the side entrance of the palace. "Where are you going?" Karkat turns to look over her once, grinning behind the shadow of the hood.

"I'm going to find out just why exactly Empress Peixes has called Vriska Serket to her."

He never sees Nepeta's worried frown.

The floor felt cold beneath her feet, even with the the slippers covering her feet. The bedsheets she carries in her arms are warm from just being pulled from drying outside, and she was hurrying along within the palace walls, determined to get the Captain's guest room before the Captain did.

The bed had yet to be made and she was determined to get there before Aradia was asked to do it. The Captain had a very rough past with Aradia, and Kanaya was determined to keep the Captain and Aradia from meeting in such a way again.

The Empress had asked Kanaya personally to keep them apart. Kanaya would do what she could. The Captain was a friend of hers, and she did not want to see her or Aradia hurt from their next encounter.

The Captain walks in just as Kanaya pulls the blankets into place. Clapping her hands together, Kanaya gives the bed a once over, before glancing up to meet Vriska's eye. Vriska is grinning, a sharp grin that Kanaya recognizes."Well," Vriska says, "it seems our dearest Empress has yet to promote you, Maryam."

"I have no desire to be promoted, Serket," Kanaya answers, and she makes her way for the door, eyeing the horn on Vriska's head that resembles one of her own. Vriska opens her mouth to say something, something sharp, Kanaya knows it, but she cuts the Captain off. "A raise, however, wouldn't be bad."

Vriska's open mouth reverts back into a grin.

"I have a question for you, however, and I am curious as to the answer. Please give me a straight answer and not what you have given me in the past, Vriska," Kanaya says. Vriska's grin falls, and her eyebrows come together in thought. She tilts her head, and her hair, so weighed down by salty air and water, actually falls with the tilt.

"You see, Kanaya, I have yet to speak with the Empress about why I'm here. I simply greeted her and came up to my room." Vriska stops for a moment, sitting on the edge of her bed and crossing her legs. She bends over and pulls off her boots, holding her legs out one after the other to wiggle her toes. The skin on her left leg is scarred, and the glasses that have one eye completely blocked out and the robotic arm she wears are signs of a previous injury.

An injury brought about by past actions. An injury that was retalition from a fifth party in an endless cycle of revenge, one that just so happened to involved Aradia. Kanaya frowns as Vriska rubs at the scar tissue, moving to sit behind the Captain to pull her coat off. Vriska sighs as Kanaya rubs at the place where the metal arm meets skin, and Kanaya says, "Equius could have done better in making this more comfortable."

Vriska waves her off. "You know me; I love pain." She gives a bitter laugh before tilting her head again as Kanaya's hands work at the seem. "Speaking of Zahhak, he's coming here, too. Peixes called all of us Bluebloods to her. She said it was urgent and that we were the only ones who could help her. Given the fact that I'm sailing in her waters under her name, I had no choice but to come."

Kanaya stops massaging Vriska's shoulder and stands. She gathers Vriska's boots and tosses them into a corner, turning to watch as Vriska throws herself back onto her bed. "But what about Pyrope, Vriska?"

Vriska sits up again, removing her glasses. The vacant hole in the place where her eye should've been had quit unnerving Kanaya years ago. If anything, the black hole had become as much as part of Captain Serket as her fanged personality. Kanaya does nothing as Vriska rubs at her nose. Before Vriska places her glasses back into place, she asks, "What _about_Pyrope?"

Kanaya frowns again and goes to look in Vriska's mirror. She fixes the jade green lipstick on her lips before answering. "Have you to managed to sort out your differences, or are you still close to ripping each other's throats out?"

Vriska laughs loudly, falling back onto her bed and letting the bitter sound of it fill the room. Kanaya looks back at her over her shoulder, lips pursed and eyes narrowed in a worrisome curiousity. "Vriska?"

Vriska stops laughing, chuckling until her breathing returns to normal. She turns her head to meet Kanaya's gaze, and what Kanaya sees in her friend's eyes is almost as unnerving as the laughter that had just permeated the air. And the next thing Vriska says chills Kanaya to the bone.

"Oh, Kanaya. We're still sisters. We're just sisters who would kill the other."

**AN: So I'm writing an AU. I usually don't really bother with AUs, but I got this idea, wrote down a plot outline, and now I've got the next nine chapters of this written.**

**My plan of updating was originally one chapter each Saturday. However, if I keep writing this at the rate I'm going, updates may be on Saturdays and Wednesdays. We'll see what happens.**

**I'm kind of excited about this. Let me know what you think.**

**Enjoy~**


	2. The Suspicions

**Disclaimer: Still not Hussie. Still don't own anything.**

Karkat walks through the halls, careful to not make any noise with his boots. He had stomped them before entering the palace, yet he still glances back every so often to make sure he's not leaving a trail that's easily followed. He hears footsteps coming from in front of him, and he thrusts himself into a shaded alcove to hide from whoever is passing.

He spots a purple cape whipping past the alcove, and he has to fight off a sneer. The Empress's closest friend and adviser. Karkat steps out from his hiding spot as the adviser turns around a corner, but still Karkat can hear him muttering to himself.

"That...that total spiderbi..."

Karkat frowns as the adviser's voice fades. As he turns to continue on his path, however, he slams into someone. Karkat falls back with a shallow hiss, rubbing at his forehead, before preparing to stand and punch whoever had walked into him. He stops when he sees another servant of the palace rubbing at his own head.

The lenses in his glasses were two different colors - one blue, one red. His horns are doubled upon his head, his teeth are doubled over his bottom lip. He actually is hissing in pain, and Karkat squats next to him, resting his elbows on his knees as he overlooks his fellow servant and friend.

"Gog damn, Karkat, if you're going to be thneaking around the palathe - !"

"It would be great if you would shut your mouth, Sollux."

Sollux does, still growling low in his throat as he pushes himself to his feet. Karkat follows, gesturing for Sollux to take a step closer. Sollux continues grumbling as he does, lowering his voice to ask, "What the hell are you doing in here?"

Karkat shifts his gaze to the corner where the adviser had turned. "Nepeta and I saw Captain Serket arrive earlier. What is she doing here?" Karkat asks, once again returning to face Sollux. Sollux remains quiet, and then he starts walking in the direction Karkat had initially been traveling in. "Follow me," he says softly, and then Karkat is trailing him as they maneuver through shadows and hidden corridors meant for quick passage.

When Sollux finally stops, Karkat finds himself in a secluded part of the palace. It's dimly lit and there's a soft buzzing noise coming from a corner. When Karkat moves to investigate, Sollux shakes his head and Karkat resumes a still standing position. "Your room," Karkat says, giving one quick glance around to confirm this. There are wires scattered on a makeshift desk, and a messy bed that has probably never been made sits in the corner opposite the buzzing.

"What a great deduction, Vantath," Sollux says, sitting on the bed and placing his head in his hands. Karkat doesn't answer, just switches his gaze to Sollux's somewhat curled form, and crosses his arms. Not one of them says anything for a matter of minutes, standing and sitting in total silence except for the buzzing.

"You wanted to know why Therket wath back in town, right?" Sollux says, finally cracking the quiet. Karkat nods quickly, shifting his weight to one leg. Sollux sighs, tilts his head back, and sighs again. Karkat can see Sollux's closed eyelids flickering behind his glasses, until finally Sollux rights himself and says, "When you're clothe to the Empreth, you learn shit."

"So tell me."

"There'th thomething happening out in the town. Murderth. Dead people everywhere. No one knowth who'th cauthing it, jutht that every thingle body found hath had different wayth of dying. Motht popular way is thtabbing." Sollux rubs his chin with one hand, standing and walking towards the corner where the buzzing was coming from. He leans against the wall and turns to face Karkat.

"Why hasn't the court stepped in yet?" Karkat asks, eyebrows raised. Sollux only shrugs.

"They have," he says, "but the guy doing the killing is too thmart and thtrong for them. They pretty much wimped out and said, 'Hey, Empreth Peixeth, it'th all up to you now!' Feferi wath pithed. Or as pithed as she could be. So she called in the Bluebloodth."

Karkat freezes and makes sure to meet Sollux's gaze. "By Bluebloods. Does that mean all three? Or just the two?" He does his best to keep his voice steady, but his frozen body has starting quaking. He has an interesting relationship with one of those Bluebloods, and he would rather it not come into play for a long, long time.

"All three," Sollux answers. He doesn't even get to ask why Karkat had asked in the first place before he's storming out the door and back through the twists and turns that brought him there.

She stands at the main entrance of the palace, arms folded across her chest as she watches the second Blueblood carriage arrive. It's fully blue, dark in its shade, and she can't help but watch with narrowed eyes as it pulls up. She's had a few sticky encounters with Bluebloods. She doesn't want it to happen again.

As the carriage stops, she notices that the main landscaper's assistant is running up. Just as the Blueblood exits from his carriage, rubbing at the back of his neck with an already damp towel, the assistant lunges off the ground in a very feline like pounce. "Sir - " she cries out, but the assistant lands on the Blueblood's back, and they topple into the ground.

She watches as both of them laugh and how the little assistant helps the Blueblood to his feet. He's almost twice her size, a rather large man, and one of his horns are broken. His hair is long and slightly damp with sweat, and his eyes are covered with broken, darkened glasses.

"Equius!" the assistant shrieks as he carefully pats her on the head. She makes a mad grab for his hand and manages to grasp it in hers. Before he can pull it back, she's nuzzled against it. When he's finally managed to disengage himself from her, he turns towards the girl on the steps.

"If you don't mind...if you want to, I mean," he states awkwardly. Aradia tilts her head curiously, already treading down the steps to grab a suitcase and haul it free from the carriage. It falls to the ground due to the unexpected weight of it, and he apologizes just as awkwardly as his first sentence to her, and the assistant is pulling his attention away from Aradia.

She's okay with that, for she's not entirely sure she wants to be talking to this Blueblood. He's already made a different impression, and his build and ability to enjoy the assistant, even given her blood status, have made him seem quite attractive. Araida shakes her head as she takes a smaller suitcase from within the carriage, closing the door gently and slapping the side of the carriage to signal for the driver to slap the reigns. The carriage departs and Aradia starts to listen to the assistant's conversation with the Blueblood.

"It's good to see you again, Equius! It was beginning to be pawful without seeing you!"

"Likewise, Nepeta."

Aradia tuned out the rest of the conversation, waiting for it to end before she led the Blueblood to his room. She lets her mind wander for a moment before there's a thick finger tapping her on her shoulder. She blinks and looks up into the face of the Blueblood. She didn't initially notice, but his front teeth are chipped, and somehow that makes him endearing.

She looks away before she can blush and says robotically, "This way, sir." He follows her, carrying the heavier bag of his luggage, attempting to make conversation with her. Each of his attempts are shot down with the same monotone voice, and it's only when they reach his room that she shows some emotion.

Aradia lets her relief of returning to her duties show on her face, and she says quietly, "If you need anything, sir - "

Equius Zahhak cuts her off, turning to face her, carefully pulling the glasses away from his face. Aradia grips the doorway to keep her knees from going weak, and she doesn't even know why he's having this affect on her. The last she felt like this was for Sollux, and that was so long ago now -

"I desire you stop calling me 'sir,' please," he says. Aradia swallows and starts to curtsy her reply, but he walks over and stops in front of her. He places one hand lightly on her shoulder and shakes his head. "No," he amends. "Nothing that makes me seem better than you. Please."

When Aradia finally leaves, she is completely confused. Bluebloods were not supposed to be kind. Bluebloods were supposed to hate the people like her. Bluebloods were not supposed to ask a Lowblood not to worship them. Bluebloods were supposed to enforce the worshipping. Bluebloods were meant to be obeyed.

With a snap Aradia makes a decision:

_I have to keep an eye out for this one's angle._

**AN: You're going to make me beg for reviews, aren't you? I don't like begging for reviews. Please don't make me.**

**Also; Plot hints are great, huh? **

**(Okay but seriously let me know what you think. I meant that.)**

**Enjoy~**


	3. Scents of Death

**Disclaimer: Same old, same old. Not Hussie, not mine.**

She waits patiently on the steps of the tavern, listening as the court members argue over what had happened to the latest victim. She's leaning on one leg, foot tapping impatiently as she listens for her queue. She can't see, not in the conventional way. She can sense the people walking by her, mumbling to themselves, pointing at her and wondering who she was and why she was here.

She doesn't let them bother her. She's been through much worse than judgement and wonderment. She doesn't care what people think of her, for she can't really see a majority of their faces anyway. She hears the doors open and she straightens, folding her arms behind her back. Her cane is leaning against a pillar that's holding up the overhang from the tavern, and she almost wants it in her grasp.

But she keeps her lips pursed as the Legislacerators exit the building. One stops in front of her, and she can hear him start to laugh. His hand claps her on the shoulder as he walks past her, and she turns to keep facing him. "Sir," she says. Her voice is just as forceful as another she's familiar with, and she keeps the grin from spreading across her lips.

The Head Legislacerator stops and looks down on her again, a smile curling his mouth apart. His teeth are odd, not a single sharpened end, and she frowns softly at this. "You never give up, do you, Pyrope?" he asks, crossing his arms over the colors of his uniform. There's his blood color and a deeper shade of it, and the same is true for the other Legislacerators.

"No, sir, I don't."

"Pyrope, you are blind. You can't join us."

"I'm afraid that you are undermining my ability."

The Head doesn't answer. Instead he coughs to hide a chuckle, and she waits for him to continue. "Go home, Pyrope. You aren't able to help us out." Before she can answer, before she can protest in her sudden onslaught of anger, before she can so much as lay a finger on the Head Legislacerator, another voice sounds from behind her.

"I wouldn't tell her to go home. She's got more skill than any of your court members combined. In fact, she's got eightfold the skill."

Terezi groans and goes to grab her cane, tucking the dragon's head into her palm and kicking up the elongated stick portion of it under her arm. She'd rather not deal with this particular person. She'd managed to go months without uttering a single word to her, and she was not about to start now.

But if there was one thing Terezi knew, it was that Vriska Serket got what she wanted, even if she played dirty.

"Captain Serket!" the Head yelps, and Terezi's head zips around as the stench of his fear overcomes her. He's right to be afraid, that much is true, but there's something more in his fear that screams of a personal respect. Suddenly Terezi knows what exactly is going to happen, and she can't help but feel a grudging gratefulness for it.

"Yes, that's me, standing on land. Although I wouldn't prefer to be, of course." Vriska's voice is boastful. Terezi can sense enough to understand that Vriska's hand has come up and she's inspecting her fingernails, an action that speaks not of Vriska herself but the charade she puts up to impress people.

Terezi sighs as she approaches the two of them, hardly listening to their conversation. Only when her name comes up does she pay any attention. "Oh, Pyrope here has a special skill! Her unborn lusus taught her to see with her other senses when she went blind. She's got a wicked sense of smell," Vriska says, and Terezi almost tingles when she senses the Head's eyes open wide enough for the blade at the bottom of her cane to pierce.

"Is it true, Pyrope?"

"I did tell you that your were undermining my abilities, didn't I?" Terezi replies dryly. Vriska laughs next to her, and then there's a cold hand on her shoulder, squeezing. It only takes moments for Vriska to convince the Head to let Terezi into the tavern - "And besides, the both of us are here on business from the Empress."

Once she steps in, with Vriska behind her and the Head close by, her nose wrinkles at the stench. Blood colors of every shade and of every type cover the walls, and she realizes what happened before being told anything. "This wasn't a murder," she says, stepping carefully over a body near her feet. She turns and squats next to it, fingers probing until she finds the wound that killed him. She lifts her fingers to her nose and there's a strange lemon scent to it. A Lowblood, then. "This was a slaughter."

"Yes," the Head agrees. Terezi can hear Vriska stepping around the room, bending to pick up defense weapons and even a few identifying objects. There is nothing left to be said until Terezi steps into a corner where there's a lack of blood scents. Except for one. There's a strong, dark scent left here, and suddenly she can smell this scent around the rest of the room. It's the type of scent that floods her nostrils and that's all she can smell. It's a mysterious smell, an almost evil one, one that leaves her shuddering.

"Pyrope?" the Head asks, but Vriska holds up a hand with a frown on her face. Terezi's thankful for her interruption, and as she bends once more over a body, all she can smell is that one scent, and there's not even a hint of what used to be a chocolate stench. She thinks it over for a moment before realizing what sort of scent it is, and her eyes widen behind her glasses.

She faces the Head Legislacerator and says very sternly, "The killer isn't Alternian. He's from Derse."

Kanaya's walking through the halls when she spots Karkat sprinting for the side entrance. She calls out, "Karkat!" and he stops, swirling around on his boots to face her. His hood flies off his head, and he panics for a moment before seeing it's her.

She approaches him, and he's tapping his foot incessantly, shifting his weight. Coolly she lifts an eyebrow when she reaches him, reaching up to straighten his coat and making sure his buttons are done up straight. They are and she lowers her hands to her waist, leaning her weight on one leg.

"What are you so antsy about?" she asks. Karkat's gaze glues to the door, and Kanaya glances behind her. "Terezi's coming," he answers, and there's every ounce of nervous anticipation in his tone as there is in his body language.

"Yes, I know. Vriska left earlier to meet up with in her the town. Karkat, are you all right?" Kanaya asks, startled when Karkat takes off and zips around her, opening the door and slamming it shut behind him. Kanaya blinks, keeping her eyebrow up, before she shrugs off the encounter and makes her way towards the kitchens.

Half way to her destination she's halted by the Empress's adviser, who's snarling in an anger she can't help but laugh at on the inside. It seemed that he'd already had his meeting with Vriska. "Maryam," the adviser sneered. Kanaya makes sure she isn't grinning in the slightest before answering.

"Ampora."

"I need your help on something."

Both of Kanaya's eyebrows shoot up her head, and she curled her hands into her skirt. "Oh?" she asks lightly, biting at her tongue as she watches his anger escalate. Eridan's eyes narrow behind his glasses as he pulls at the ends of his scarf.

"I want you to help me get my revenge on Serket."

Suddenly all of Kanaya's mirth is gone, and it is replaced by a dull, throbbing feeling. Her entire body runs cold, and Kanaya can only hope her glare isn't that noticeable. "No, sir," she says. She turns to walk away and suddenly Eridan's standing in front of her again.

"Why. Not." His voice is just as cold as her body, and his narrowed gaze would be unnerving if not for her own glare starting to become apparent. He takes a step back from her, and she thinks it's a good thing her lipstick tube is back in her chambers, because she's not entirely sure what she would do if she had it with her.

When Kanaya answers, her voice is quiet and measured. "I understand that Captain Serket is not an easy person to get along with. I understand that Captain Serket has committed grievances in the past. I understand that she is a paranoid, careless piece of work, but that does not mean she deserves any of the actions you wish to thrust on upon her for petty revenge."

Eridan does not stop Kanaya as she keeps walking, but before she turns a corner, she glances back and sees him still standing in the corridor, eyes narrowed dangerously. She shivers once and tells herself she'll do what she can to keep him in line.

However, there's not much she can do. He is the Empress's adviser. A seadweller. A Highblood in the definition's sense. It is with a new mission in her mind that Kanaya sets about the rest of her waking time in the palace.

Not only did she have to keep Vriska and Aradia apart, she had to make sure Vriska and Eridan did not cross paths for any extended amount of time.

**AN: Shoutout to the one person who gave me a review - you flippin' rock. (And thanks for the compliments! Made my day, you've got no clue.)**

**Thus with another passing Saturday another chapter goes up. **

**And now I've run out of shit to say. A yep.**

**Enjoy~**


	4. Of Blue and Dirt

**Disclaimer:** **Stiiiiiiiill not Andrew Hussie.**

As Aradia strides up to Equius's room, she finds Tavros wheeling through the corridors, knocking on supply closet doors and tentatively calling out a name. She adjusts the plate of food on her arm and strengthens her grip on the cup of milk before tapping Tavros on the shoulder.

The crippled Lowblood jumps as much as he can, and spurs his wheelchair around to face her. His cheeks are flushed with an orangish brown color, and Aradia feels sorry for the dead rank of his blood. He's a sweet person, but he's so used and stomped on, and as for what caused him to become crippled...Aradia stops her thought process there, lest she become angry with Tavros for no apparent reason.

"Looking for someone?" she asks, removing the food from her arm to hold it in a fashion she was more comfortable with. Tavros smiles that sad smile of his and nods. "Y-yeah," he answers, and then he looks down at his lap and his smile is gone. It's been years since the incident, and maybe Aradia and Sollux hadn't gotten the worst of the explosion, but Terezi and Tavros certainly had. Aradia frowns for a moment before making up her mind.

Before Tavros can question what she's doing, she's placing the plate of food in his lap and making him grip the glass of milk. "Uh, Aradia, what are you, uh, doing?" he asks, suddenly appalled.

"You, Tavros, are going to help me, and then I am going to help you." She pauses for a moment as she grabs at the back of his chair, making sure he's got a firm grip on the glass and plate before pushing him to their destination.

They make light conversation while they go on, and when they arrive at the Blueblood's door, Aradia suddenly quietens. Tavros inquires as to why, but she cuts him off and takes the plate and glass after knocking on the door.

It opens quickly, and Aradia winces before she looks up into the once again shaded gaze of the Blueblood. Quietly he takes his plate of food from her and then the milk, and he glances over her shoulder at Tavros.

"What happened to you?" he asks. Tavros looks down and Aradia can't help but feel sorry for him. He's intimidated easily, always has been, and now in the face of this monstrous Blueblood he might not be able to speak.

But he surprises Aradia when he answers, "I was, uh, thrown off a cliff." It was a mumbled answer, but Aradia promises herself she'll grin at the poor boy as they walk away from the room. When Aradia goes to wheel Tavros away and assist him in his search, he says, "Have, uh, a nice time here, s-sir!"

The Blueblood stops them, and he steps out of the room to peer down at Aradia curiously. "You have not told him of my requests?" His eyebrows are raised, and Aradia shakes her head, feeling herself going cold again.

The Blueblood heaves a heavy sigh and looks upon Tavros. Aradia's hands clench as the Blueblood says, "I have requested that formal titles not be used. My name is Equius. Please, do not call me sir. If you don't mind, I mean."

That's when Aradia becomes curious. The Blueblood has just asked the lowest of the Lowbloods to call him by name, and the Lowblood is grinning and extending a hand to be shook. "C-Can do," Tavros says, and Aradia watches in her bewilderment as the Blueblood's enormous hand closes around Tavros's, and as Tavros winces at the shaking, but is still grinning softly nonetheless.

Before the Blueblood leaves he levels his gaze with Aradia's, and Aradia is pushing Tavros down the corridor before the Blueblood closes his door once more. Tavros is still grinning, and he peers up around his shoulder to say, "I t-think he likes you. In the, uh, red sort of way."

Aradia has to keep herself from pushing him away from her and leaving him alone on his search, instead questioning with a hard tone, "Who are you looking for, then?" Tavros stays silent for a moment, and Aradia knows he's trying to decipher her sudden mood change.

"I-I need to find the H-Highblood M-Makara."

* * *

Vriska had left hours ago, saying that she was probably needed back at the palace. Terezi would have bartered her life it was because she wasn't saying anything that wasn't necessary. It had shocked Terezi, however, that Vriska had made no move to start an actual conversation. When she left, she'd said, "I expect a thank you to be given to me soon, Pyrope."

Terezi had not answered, instead asking the Head Legislacerator to allow her to investigate another crime scene. He'd agreed and led her to a small hive on the edge of the town. As soon as Terezi had entered her eyes had welled with tears. It seemed this murderer from Derse did not give a damn who his victims were, so long as they were killed brutally.

The bodies of the grub and its lusus were cold, and the blood had dried. The blood colors matched each others though, as far as Terezi could tell based off the scent. The Head had closed the door behind her, explaining that one of the Legislacerators would be staying behind to escort her to any other crime scene she wished.

Overtime the unbearable smell of Derse had become manageable, and although this place was old in its crime, the smell of the killer was still fresh. Terezi had walked around, after feeling where the puncture wounds had been inflicted. She could easily imagine how the scuffle had happened, and she'd spent the last hour of her time within the home.

Now she rests against the only spot on the wall that doesn't have a blood splatter, overlooking how this could have possibly happened. Her fingers are pinching her nose shut so that she has to breathe through her mouth. This is a worse arrangement, for now she can taste the scents and smells, and she can feel herself wishing to lose her lunch.

She won't though. She'd spent too many hours studying what it took to be a Legislacerator, and she was not going to jeopardize her only opportunity. There's a knock on the door, and Terezi straightens herself out as the Legislacerator waiting outside calls, "There's a person out here to see you, ma'am! Says he knows the 'goddamned lady inside so just let me in already!'"

Terezi fights off a snarkish grin before she walks to the door and steps outside of the house, already knowing who it was based off the scent of dirt and sweat on his skin and clothes. She looks at the Legislacerator and tells him, "Go back to your hive. I can handle this troublemaker on my own."

The Legislacerator does not need to be convinced any more than that, and promptly takes off in a direction she cannot care to let herself know. Instead she turns her attention back to the Lowblooded gardener in front of her and does grin at him. "So the great landscaper Karkat Vantas has chosen to greet me, hm?" she teases.

He doesn't answer, and she hears the swish of his coat as he folds his arms. "I'm not playing right now, Terezi," he says, just as loudly as she remembers him being. She rolls her eyes before stepping up to him and covering his mouth with a hand, whispering, "I am a Blueblood, or as Blueblooded as teal can get, and we are in a very blood status-y part of the the town, Karkat. Please refrain from screaming."

She senses Karkat's eyes narrowing, and she releases him. She steps around him and makes down the path she recognizes, only stopping when she realizes she might need help getting to the palace. She starts to turn back towards Karkat, but he's already next to her, mumbling, "Don't even start, Pyrope."

She grins up at him, squeezing her eyes shut behind her glasses for effect, and says, "Don't start what, Vantas?"

They don't speak for a majority of the walk, and Terezi can feel how awkward he is. She folds her arms around herself, careful not to brush shoulders with him. When they reach the gravel road that leads up the palace he stops, and she turns to face him, startled. "Karkat?" she asks, and she can sense he's shaking with some decision he's still debating.

She's shocked when he reaches out for her, bringing her into a hug, and her chin is resting on his shoulder as her hands are pressed against his chest, curled into fists. He says, "It's actually surprisingly really damn good to see you, Terezi."

He lets go of her and storms out to the side gardens before she can answer. She doesn't think she wants, too, however, for her eyes are wide and her nostrils flared. She thinks, just for a moment, just for a split moment, she's started to crack the mystery that was Karkat's blood.

**AN: Ahahaha almost forgot about updating today. _Almost._**

**IN OTHER NEWS, exposition, exposition, exposition. I've gotta set the story up somehow, ya know. I'm just sorry it's taking so damn long. BUT - there are always things that happen in the beginning that get us to the more...active part of the story. I've just got over thirteen characters to work with and it's ACTUALLY A LOT HARDER THAN IT SEEMS.**

**I promise it'll speed up. One day. Depends. I'm working on it.**

**Enjoy~**


	5. Legislacerator

**Disclaimer: If I've said it once, I've said it five times. I not Andrew Hussie. I do not own anything. **

He slinks around the shadows of the town, grinning to himself. He'd seen the court members and he'd seen the Bluebloods. He'd even seen the Lowblood come and greet the Blueblood who had stayed behind. He'd seen it all, and now he was slinking through the village, headed towards the higher ranking Lowbloods, waiting to make a move at the right time.

He was here for a reason - to terrorize and bring down the kingdom of Alternia. He'd been left here on the border from Derse, given the assignment, and he was sworn to follow through. He'd do whatever he could to make sure every single life here was ended.

Keeping his laughter to himself, he slips into an alleyway. There's a being with horns there, and this being looks up from his makeshift meal. He stands when he sees the dagger, and he throws his hands in the air just as the one from Derse makes his move.

Not one moment later and there's a deep green shade of blood staining the side of the alley. The dagger is wiped clean on the dead being's clothing, and he stands from his latest kill. There's a grin on his slick black face, and he's going to enjoy the night to come.

* * *

When she wakes, she is exhausted. She'd spent the previous early night arguing with her Head Legislacerator, and then proceeded to send him into the town to investigate anyway. He'd protested, that was true enough, and still she'd thought her decision to do so was educated and wise enough.

Her subjects needed all the protection they could get. Since the Legislacerators were not sufficiently performing in their duties, she'd called in the three Bluebloods she knew could get enough done. They'd each arrived the night prior, some in the early midnight and others before the sun rose again.

Suddenly there comes a frantic banging on her door, just as she puts her head back down to sleep a bit longer, and she bites back a curse and groans as she pushes herself back to her feet. She dons the swimgear she usually does for the morning.

She is a seadweller. She was raised in the water. She does not like being out of it for extended periods of time. Her cuddlefish would miss her.

She slips her goggles on just as she opens the door. There's Sollux, standing there in an outing cloak. Hiss boots are muddy and the bottom of the cloak is as well. His face is twisted in what seems to be a grim thought. She's appalled by this, and she says, "Have you already been out?"

He nods and adjusts the glasses on his face, reaching out to grasp her by the waist and pull her into a hug. "I'm thorry, Fef," he says softly. "But there'th no time for thwimming today." She pulls back from him, eyebrows raised against the circlet she wears at all times, except for when sleeping. She's been Empress long enough to know when something isn't right, and right now, something isn't.

"What is going on, Sollux?" she asks, firm in her tone and gaze. She doesn't like being this way; she much prefers being fun and uplifting, but right now, firm and hard eyed are what she needs to be. Sollux closes the doors behind him as he enters, and he steers her to her bed. She sits down on it and he settles next to her, sighing before mentioning anything else.

"Whoever is performing thethe murderth, Fef, they got to the Head Legithlacerator latht night. He'th dead. Stabbed multiple timeth. Even Pyrope can't tell uth how many," he relays. Feferi stands and rubs at her temples, eyes closed as she walks around her room a few times.

"Glub dammit," she whispers. "Who is supposed to take his - wait just a moment." Her fingers snap and she can tell by the grin on Sollux's face that he knows exactly what she's thinking. He nods once and says, "She's been waiting thince the day she made it out of the caveth ath a wiggler, Feferi. I think she'll apprethiate it a lot."

"Well good. Because we need the best to be in the best position." When she calls for Eridan, Sollux takes his leave. He places a chaste kiss to her forehead, squeezing her arm once before bowing out of the chambers. Feferi lays back on her bed until Eridan arrives.

He steps in, cape dragging behind him, his scarf pulled tightly around his neck. Feferi notices it as a sign of him anxious. She hardly blames him for being so, knowing that his past with the Captain Serket is rocky at best. She understood it must have been straining for him.

"You called, Fef?" Eridan asks, not bowing. He doesn't have to. Feferi requested it of him more than enough sweeps ago. She beckons him forwards and he closes the distance but for a foot or two and he's handing her the papers she'd needed to look over for the day.

"How long will it be before we can induct a new Head Legislacerator?" she questions, flipping through the pages before placing them on the bed next to her. He tilts his head in confusion before he registers what she's inquiring to.

"A night or two at the most, Feferi."

"Good."

* * *

Sollux makes sure he heads back outside, where he left Karkat and Nepeta waiting. Nepeta's keeping an eye on her Blueblood friend, and Karkat leans against a shovel he's thrust into the ground with an impatient glare. When Sollux arrives, Karkat's only words are, "What did Peixes have to say?"

Sollux grins at him and points at Terezi, who's head is bowed over a notepad held by Vriska, and Equius is standing next to Vriska, reading over her shoulder. "Thince the Head'th dead, Fef'th making thure the next perthon to enter hith vacated pothition ith Pyrope."

Karkat perks up, looking from Sollux back to Terezi, and he frowns just a bit. "That complicates things a lot more than they already are." He leans more on the shovel and reaches back to pull his hood up and over his head. Sollux is taken aback for a moment, before he thinks it over and realizes what exactly is happening in his friend.

"Oh, my gog. You're flushed for Pyrope!"

Karkat doesn't answer, just grunts and pulls the shovel from the ground, forcing the blade into the dirt and pressing down on the handle to move the sand away from the hole Nepeta would fill in later. Sollux can't help but grin, and soon the grand entrance doors open and Feferi is making her way out. She hasn't changed out of her swim gear, and her goggles still rest over her eyes. She says she loves those the most and she always will.

Sollux watches her cross the courtyard to meet with the Bluebloods, and soon Sollux can see Terezi's entire face lighting up. Sollux glances at Karkat to see him staring at her, and his lips curl back over his teeth as he watches him. "Oh, man," Sollux laughs, "you have got it for her bad."

Karkat lifts the shovel and threatens it at Sollux, who ducks but holds up his hands in a truce. When Sollux finally stops laughing, Karkat says, "It doesn't matter anyway. She's a Blueblood, about to be Head Legislacerator. Nothing could come of it."

Sollux switches his gaze to Terezi once more, and Terezi's glancing over at Karkat. Her smile falls ever so slightly. Vriska's grinning darkly, as if she had some part in this scheme, and Equius is dabbing at his head with a small handkerchief, grinning himself. Terezi and Feferi shake hands once and Feferi hands over a belt, and Sollux can hear, "Go request the colors of your uniform tomorrow, Head Legislacerator. The official indunction ceremony will take place after midnight tomorrow."

Terezi nods and goes back to the notepad in Vriska's hands, and Sollux spots Eridan scowling on the front steps, waiting for Feferi to return. Instead, and it doesn't surprise Sollux at all when he sees this, Feferi makes for the side of the palace. She steps onto the path that gets her to the sea quickest, and he knows she won't be back for hours due to her impending headache.

Eridan glances over at Sollux and Sollux has to fight off a scowl of his own. For a moment it seems like Eridan will prance down the steps and attack Sollux, but Sollux stiffens and stands straighter, hoping to intimidate Eridan enough that he doesn't cause a scene.

He turns to follow Feferi, and just before he does, Sollux catches sight of his snarl.

**AN: And thus we have Feferi. (Fish puns? What are those?)**

**(I am related to a pun master and he has taught me very little on the subject of fish puns. I'm sorry.)**

**(I'm trying my best here.)**

**Now I'm off to get ice cream.**

**Enjoy~**


	6. Red

**Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine.**

He can hear Terezi striding into his room, careful not to make noise. Karkat shifts on his bed and rolls over to face her. His eyes are narrowed, and she freezes when she realizes he's awake. He sits up and grumbles out, "What are you doing here, Pyrope?"

She shrugs and moves to sit next to him. If this had been any other person, he would have protested. But this was Terezi, and it just so happened to be the girl he felt so awkwardly flushed for. He shifts once more, sliding back on the bed, and she follows him.

At this point he gives up and rolls his eyes, and she's placing a hand on his chest, leaning her head against his shoulder. His entire body freezes suddenly, and then he's completely shivering in a warmth he never knew existed. "Why didn't you come to congratulate me earlier, Karkat?" Terezi asks, her voice soft and disappointed.

His shivering stops and he winces, quite upset over his lack of communicating his happiness for her himself. He wiggles until they're laying down and she's curled up against him, and he tentatively raises a hand to pull at the ends of her choppy hair. It hasn't been kept correctly since the day she went blind, and he wants to curl up everytime he remembers finding her on the ground in the middle of a clearing with nothing but the sun for company.

His heart drops to his stomach when Terezi lifts herself up and does her best to meet his eyes with her own. "Karkat? Aren't you happy for me?" She's pouting at him and he feels a sudden desire to reach up and grab her by the cheeks to show her just how happy for her he is, but instead his jaw clenches and his hands fist.

"Yes, Legislacerator, I am very, very happy for you."

"Your voice is stiff and your body is rigid. Not to mention I can smell the lie. Karkat, what's wrong?"

His lower lip starts to quiver, but he won't let himself cry. He won't with her, because she can smell colors and when their kind cries, they cry their blood colors. For his entire life his blood color has been a secret to everyone but himself. He's gone by the anonymity of gray to be his savior, and not anyone had questioned his desire to do so extensively. He was lucky. He didn't want to ruin it.

He slaps his forehead to draw away from the stinging in his eyes and he simply responds to her, "Nothing. I don't know what's wrong, Terezi." He watches her pout deepen, this time not in worry over doing something wrong, but as to why he was lying to her.

And then she does something that shocks him to his very core. She leans down and presses her lips roughly to his, and he's kissing her back. Her hands curl into his hair and he sits up, dragging her into his lap, and she straddles him, moving her hands from his hair to hook around the back of his neck.

"Don't lie to me," she says.

She's kissing him, and he's kissing her back, and teeth are nipping at lips and tongues are darting out between mouths and it's everything Karkat could have imagined it being and more. The sounds coming from Terezi's throat are met with Karkat's, and he's completely lost.

"I don't want to," he answers.

And then her teeth come down a little harder than they had before on his lip. The taste of blood is filling his mouth, and he tears his lips away from hers, shoving her back onto the bed. He darts away, standing on the opposite side of the room, shocked and maybe a little bit scared. Her eyes are wide behind her glasses, her jaw working. Her tongue darts out to taste the bit of blood still on her lip, and Karkat's probing at the inside of his lip.

When he pulls his fingers away, anger swells in him. Anger and fear and everything that could possibly be wrong within him. There are images from his dayterrors filling him - pictures of him hanging, sights of friends sitting around and taking turns at dealing deadly blows, persecution and prosecution and death. And now the Head Legislacerator knew, and she was staring up at him with wide, shocked eyes.

He grabs her by the harm and walks her to the door. She struggles but she doesn't make a vocal sound and that's when she turns to say something to him. Before she can he gives her a bitter laugh and says, "Do whatever you want to. You know my secret. Go ahead and burn me!"

He slams the door in her face, falls onto his knees, and sobs. He sobs because what does he have anymore? What choices, what safety percausions, what else can he possibly do to protect himself?

It's a few moments more before he lifts his head from his palms and uses the heel of his hands and resigns himself to whatever fate he faces. He might trust Terezi more than he realizes, but he won't hope that she'll keep this to herself.

He pulls himself back into his bed and keeps his eyes trained on the door, too terrified to sleep.

* * *

Terezi knows it's late, towards the crack of dawn, and that most of the life in the palace is settling into bed, but she also knows that Kanaya is up late constantly and often basks in an hour of sunlight before retiring. It's odd, because Kanaya is always up early enough to greet the Bluebloods, the Highblood, and the adviser and Empress. Kanaya doesn't exist on sleep in the same way the rest of the population did.

Whatever Kanaya's reason, Terezi knew she could find her, and find her she did. Terezi knocks on Kanaya's door, and Kanaya answers. Terezi knows Kanaya is grinning, and she almost winces when Kanaya asks, "Come to chose your colors for your Legislacerator uniform, hm?"

"Yes," Terezi answers bluntly, and Kanaya lets Terezi cross into her room. She points at a chair for Terezi to sit in, and Terezi moves over to it. Once she's seated, Kanaya pulls out a feathery pen and notepad, and she starts asking questions about how Terezi would like her uniform to look.

"Standard. Yes to the collar, no to the gloves, unless they go up to my elbows and stay there. Yes, I would like to keep my cane. No, I'm not willing to get rid of the dragon head."

They go at this for what seems like hours, until Terezi is finally feeling tired. Once the design is decided and sketched, Kanaya has Terezi stand. Kanaya takes what Terezi's best guess is a ribbon and starts making measurements around Terezi's bust, waist, and even calves. Terezi finds it almost annoying, but she knows it's necessary.

By the time she's allowed to sit again, she's completely exhausted. She lets herself doze as Kanaya cuts out the pattern for the fabrics. Terezi's shaken awake and it's almost dawn. Kanaya's grinning down at her, she can tell. "So we already know that a teal color is the main one for your blood, right?" Kanaya asks.

Terezi nods.

"But what about the second color? A darker shade like normal?"

Terezi blinks herself into awareness. She had been thinking about this earlier, on her way from Karkat's chambers to Kanaya's. She thinks it over once more, wondering if he'd appreciate the gesture and accept her once more or if he'd completely block her from his life for the rest of it. She wanted the former, not the latter. It hurt her to think about the latter.

She knows if she goes through with this there will be questions from everyone, but she also knows the best excuse. And it's not so much an excuse than it is a truth that's slightly bent. She grins to herself and tells Kanaya exactly what color she wants. Kanaya has to pull a sample fabric from within a drawer Terezi hadn't noticed. Terezi sniffs at the fabric until she confirms it to be the correct shade, and Kanaya asks, "But why that color? It's not a blood color."

Terezi smiles and she gives the not entire truth. "Candy apple red is my favorite. I'm not going to wear colors I don't love if I'm going to be smelling them the entire time."

**AN: I feel like skipping right now! **

**You don't even know how excited I was to post this chapter. Seriously I've had this written for about seven weeks now so I waited and waited to be able to post this chapter like, "Okay, it's not Chapter Six's turn yet, but we're so freaking close..."**

**And now Chapter Six is up and suddenly I'm in a good mood. **

**(I would apologize for the sudden onslaught of angsty fluff. Except I'm not really sorry at all and the idea of implying the "OUR L1TTL3 MOM3NT" scheme as it was implied in the actual comic didn't please me at all. Therefore, I will not apologize for the sudden onslaught of angsty fluff. I also can't find a shit to give.)**

**Enjoy~**


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